“Yes. We can come get it.”

“No, it’s okay. I can drop it off in Police Beat in town. The one near King George Square. That okay?”

“Excellent.”

“I dropped the man off at Sunshine Plaza. Maybe half an hour ago. I think he’s still heading to Noosa. I followed him a bit and he ended up getting on a bus, the 620.”

“You didn’t need to do that, sir. We don’t want you putting yourself in harm’s way.”

“It’s okay. We need people like him off the street.”

* * *

The final leg of Wiley’s trip wasn’t overly risky. He was far enough from the city to be off the radar, and it wasn’t likely that people would recognise him from the police alert. He avoided wearing a baseball cap and sunglasses—didn’t want to set off any triggers. No one stared at him as he got on the bus, but he wondered how the limo driver recognised him. Maybe it was the chin dimple his parents passed down to him? No. That used to be covered by his goatee. He balled his hands into fists. He should’ve asked the driver what gave him away.

After locating some free tourist maps, he’d jumped on a local service bus line. As they passed through Coolum, he saw a sign advertising a charity shop. He looked down at his jeans. Too thick and hot for this weather, and they did make him stand out in the crowd. He wanted to wear shorts, just not the pair hiding in his backpack, they were thickish also. The Press Stop button was in easy reach so he pressed it. After a few moments, the bus stopped. Wiley got off and headed back to find the charity shop.

He came out of the charity shop a short time later and headed towards a toilet block across the road. There was plenty of room in the disability toilet cubicle to change into his new outfit. He sat on the toilet seat and took of his tattered runners, and replaced his jeans and shirt with dark blue Quicksilver boardshorts and a plain white T-shirt with a small surfboard logo near the top. On with the flip-flops, and carrying a black baseball cap, he came out of the toilet block, a new man. No jeans, no runners, no socks. He felt lighter and a lot cooler.

He spotted a bus travelling on the main street and tried to run to the bus stop, but his new flip-flops slowed him down. One passenger saw him running and appeared to try and get the attention of the bus driver, but the bus didn’t stop. It was a busy street, so it made sense that he didn’t pull over. No probs. He needed to get some food anyway.

Thirty minutes later, he was back on a bus. He checked where he was going on the tourist map and got off the bus a few stops before the main stop. Best to be cautious, as he’d seen some police cars go past. Maybe the limousine driver had blabbed. If so, updated police alerts will be coming.

He needed to change his image again, maybe grow a beard. He needed a place and time to do that, and that was coming. A bike with a For Sale ticket on it leaned on a wire fence he was walking past. He decided to borrow it. No one came running after him, so he had a brief relaxing bike ride before he discarded the bike in a vacant block not far from the park he was looking for.

He’d located the park on the tourist map, and it appeared as the map said it would. There was an outdoor gym shaded by a large gum tree. An older couple were using the equipment. A lady and her dog rested on a blanket on a sloping grassed area. Some galahs were feeding on grass seeds nearby. The dog watched the birds but was restrained by a leash. There was a man sitting on a park bench reading a newspaper, a strange sight this day and age. Wiley sat down on a vacant park bench near the entrance to the park and pretended to be using his phone.

There were enough people and activity going on around for him to blend into the background and not be mistaken for some riff-raff and let him do what he’d planned, to watch over his friend Sheila’s house. Her property backed onto the park, and she could access the park through a gate in her rear fence. The elevated view from the park allowed watchers to see into her backyard. He needed to know if she still lived there and still lived alone. He assumed she still lived there because it was the address he’d been given to forward mail on to—not that he received any mail anyway.

Sheila came out into her garden and threw scraps into the chook pen. Seeing her again brought mixed emotions and the desire to flee. The scree call of a galah as it flew by brought his senses back.

She looked fit and well as she wandered through her veggie patch. Her hair seemed greyish, but that would be due to her not being concerned about how she looked. He always liked that about her. They’d had a relationship for a while before she decided to move away from the city. It was good timing, as he’d been finding it hard to cover his drug habits and she’d been diving too much into New Age philosophies.

But she had introduced him to the aura glasses. Not that he’d tell her what he got up to with them. He smiled at that thought and also of the opportunity of some intimacy with her. She may warm to him, knowing he was off the drugs—that is, if she believed him. He went cold turkey because getting rid of amber people appealed to him more than drugs. That was the key—finding something better than what he already had. The drive to kill amber people was stronger, more enjoyable, than his drug addiction. The thought frightened him.

If things were as he imagined, she would be off the grid. Unwired, offline, avoiding the ‘noise of the world’. She once referred to what she was doing as a digital detox. He didn’t want to detox, so they separated on good terms. Well, sort of. They’d travelled down different roads, listening to different drums.

But their paths did cross when it came to Christians. Sheila believed Christians were too narrow-minded, that many paths led to God, not just Jesus. She held Jesus in high regard as a great spiritual teacher—just one of many. Wiley shuddered at the thought of Jesus. Jesus scared him and he still wasn’t sure why.

Sheila did not believe in evil. But he did.

He stood and headed towards her house.

13 - It hasn’t gone away

Jack sent out a group email to his team, providing an update regarding Orange Man’s location. They’d established his name was Thomas Wiley, of no fixed address. Of course. The team needed to dig deeper into his background and see why he would be going to Noosa. Maybe he was visiting a relative or friend.

A trip to Noosa was on the cards, but Jack wanted further information on this man first. He’d contacted Central Region for their support, and their patrols had been alerted to be on the lookout for one Mr Thomas Wiley.

Jack felt tired. He rested his head in the palms of his hands, closed his eyes and gave himself a facial massage. How nice it would be to go home to a home-cooked meal.

“Jack.” Cath’s voice entered his brief escape.

He placed his hands on his desk. “Yep.”

“You okay?”

“Yep. Just a quick recharge.”

“I’m not sure if I told you, but both my parents are in town. Did you want to join us for a quick coffee? Dad’s here for a conference and dragged Mum along. The cold weather is starting to creep into the Canberra area. Good to escape.”

Jack had met Cath’s parents a number of times. He got on well with them but wasn’t sure if he was up to being social at the moment.

Cath obviously sensed this. “Come on, Jack. You need a quick switch off. Dad may even have some news on our friend in the sky.”

He’d almost forgotten about that. He’d also forgotten about his own parents. They appeared in his thoughts every now and then. He would often wonder if he was ever going to see them again in the afterlife. They were both devoted Christians so he supposed he would. But it was something he wasn’t sure about. The accident added confusion to his life and to his belief in God. He did miss them. In some ways, that was why he kept himself so busy—to keep thoughts of them out of his head. But only he knew that. They’d had a good life until the accident although he wished they could’ve been here to enjoy the fruits of being grandparents longer. Then again, with his current circumstances, maybe not. They would be disappointed with him.

Pushing the thoughts to the back of his mind, he stood up. “Does everyone go to heaven when they die?”

“What a random question.” Cath gave him a searching gaze. “You coming for coffee?”

“Yep. I’d like to see your parents.” Parents offered a sense of security coupled with wisdom, if you were willing to accept that.

They headed towards the front entrance. “And, Jack, there is a belief which covers your question. Universalists believe everyone will eventually go to heaven.”

“Do you believe that?”

“No. Christ spoke about Hell quite a bit. Makes me think there must be a place where those who don’t want anything to do with God end up.”

The noise of the busy street joined their conversation.

Jack looked at Cath. “Thanks for your honesty. To be continued.”

As they entered the café, Cath’s parents, Frank and Susan, stood to greet them.

Jack shook hands with Frank and gave Susan a hug. “Good to see you both.”

“And you. You’re looking good.” Frank motioned them to some chairs. “Take a seat. Let me grab you a coffee. What would you like?”

“You sure?” Jack asked.

“Of course.” Frank turned to his daughter. “Same as usual, Catherine?”

Cath nodded.

“Long black would be good. Thanks.” Jack moved his attention to Cath’s mum. “How are you going?”

“Good, Jack.” Susan had a lovely warm smile. “Nice to be in the warmer weather.”